Space Photonics Shoots For Stars With $3M Funding
by June 21, 2004 12:00 am 104 views
Space Photonics Inc., a client of the University of Arkansas’ Genesis Technology Incubator, has received a $3 million authorization from the House of Representatives and Senate Armed Services Committees to do research for the U.S. Air Force. This designation could lead to a total of $15 million in funding for the company during the next four years said Chuck Chalfant, the firm’s president and CEO.
Chalfant said there is a distinction between the funds being authorized and them being appropriated, but “it’s highly probable [the money] will be awarded.”
If approved, the money will come from the advanced spacecraft technology program which is funded by the Air Force.
The firm specializes in fiber-optic and free-space networking systems and components specifically designed for military and commercial aircraft. Free-space networking is “wireless” photo communication.
SPI’s niche is in the development of rugged, reliable components that can withstand the rigors of space flight and be used as military and commercial avionics, including components that are radiation tolerant.
Chalfant’s customer targets are the Department of Defense, NASA, commercial satellite programs and military and commercial aircraft manufacturers.
He said there is a surge in interest in his company’s work because of the need to transfer greater amounts of data at faster speeds than ever before, both within aircraft and via satellite.
According to a document published by the United States General Accounting Office in December, the DOD plans to spend $12 billion from 2003 to 2015 to implement a transformational satellite program (TSAT) for the intelligence community and NASA.
The TSATs utilize lasers as well as radio frequencies and significantly increase the speed and bandwidth in which data can be transferred, Chalfant said.
Chalfant hopes some of his components are on board when the satellites take off.
SPI has also recently been awarded a nine-month Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $100,000 and a two-year Phase II SBIR worth $750,000. The new Phase II grant is for research on intelligent free space optical satellite communication nodes.
Since 1999, SPI and it’s earlier incarnation ONI Systems, have been awarded a total of $4.18 million in small business administration and SBIR grants.
Chalfant said he plans to utilize research facilities at UALR for networking analysis of some of his systems developed for the Air Force.
SPI employs a total of nine people, four are part-time UA graduate students.